


Tensile Strength

by Broken_Clover



Category: Guilty Gear
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Hugging, Ky has issues, Leo is a good friend, Overworking, nervous breakdown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 21:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15252135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: Leo Whitefang was not a stupid man. He also wasn’t a heartless one. No matter what it took, he was going to find out what the hell was going on with Ky Kiske. And he was going to fix this.





	Tensile Strength

**Author's Note:**

> This was born out of two desires- Firstly, the desire for people to recognize the complete laundry list of insanity that Ky has been put through and the stuff he has to deal with (he isn't my favorite character, but I can recognize that this guy gets put through the wringer almost nonstop). Secondly, the desire to remind people that for as much of an absolute dork and goofball Leo is, he's also a very smart man with a lot of compassion. 
> 
> Ishiwatari let them hug pls. Not even just for Ky, this series could use some more hugging.

Ky Kiske was the world’s most perfect man, and Leo Whitefang despised it. 

Hell, that was the closest that he could even get to saying that he hated Kiske. The man was just so damn charming, friendly, and personable that Leo didn’t even outright hate him, funnily enough, just hated the kid’s inability to piss him off. Always polite, always understanding, always willing to go the extra mile...and on top of it all, better than him at basically everything.

Even before, during his wartime days, he’d heard all too much about the complete, infallible _perfection_ that was Ky Kiske. Leo had always been the top in his squadron by a mile, delivering single-handed death blows on beasts that even the entire platoon as a group couldn’t kill. He spent years dragging himself up the military ladder, all the way from being a lowly foot soldier to a lieutenant issuing orders to a squadron of his own. Leo was commended and congratulated by inferiors and superiors alike on his sheer skill, talent, and brilliance.

No matter what, though, he could never escape Kiske’s shadow.

Captain Kiske. Commander of the Holy Order. Tactical master genius and near-peerless combatant- at least, that was what all the tabloids and rumors said. At first, Leo hadn’t believed it. He had spent so much time, so much effort crawling up the ranks, the prospect of such a youngster having all that and more was as laughable as it was insulting. As soon as his camp had been sent to work under him, Leo had boldly demanded a swordfight with the commander.

Ky had beaten him by a landslide.

Ever since then, Leo couldn’t help but harbor a bit of resentment towards the boy. No matter what, he almost never seemed to fail. Sure, there were the occasional slip-ups in battle, and he could never quite beat Sol Badguy, but he always made up for it by a pledge and drive to improve and better himself. He was such a goddamn paragon that it was practically nauseating.

Even after the Illyrian election, it seemed that he couldn’t outdo Ky. He went from being Order Commander to beloved First King, while he himself was relegated to second place once again. And of course, Ky just had to be so courteous about the whole damn thing, going around and congratulating him and Daryl for their successes, like his wasn’t even worth anything. He was the First King of Illyria, and he couldn’t even manage a smug look.

Lately, though, Leo couldn’t help but take notice of a few little chips and cracks in the man’s metaphorical armor. They certainly weren’t very big, nothing insanely scandalous. A lot of them would perhaps have been seen as normal for the average person, but for the ways Ky would normally act, it had begun to draw his attention.

Ky had always been a bit of a workaholic. Leo could be, too, but he also knew that some things could be held off in favor of sleep. It wasn’t a philosophy the two of them must have shared, seeing as how he hadn’t seen Ky go to bed before midnight once in the past week.

The first couple of times, Leo had merely rolled his eyes and walked of, sighing in dismay from the concept that someone could be so dedicated that it cut into their sleep schedule. When it continued, though, it began worrying him. He had approached Ky, cutting right to the point and telling him to go to bed. Upon first glance, it seemed like it had done the trick, but Leo had later caught him smuggling paperwork into his bedroom.

The tenseness had shown up just a little bit prior. Like with the workaholism, that had been normal to an extent. Ky could be so stiff that the Second King could swear that the brat had a literal stick up his ass. Ky was always poised and proper, rarely looking anything less that completely professional.

But he had never _flinched_ when Leo touched him before.

It had been just a light graze, an attempt to get his co-worker’s attention for his input on a document. That gentle tap had sent Ky skidding several feet, arms thrown up as though he had been expecting another, stronger blow.

In reality, the confrontation had only lasted a second or two, but it kept playing back in Leo’s head as the days passed. Had Ky somehow become afraid of him? His younger, more prideful self may have taken some sort of twisted pleasure at the prospect of having intimidated the younger man, but it only made him worry now. 

Trying to ask him had been a futile effort, and in hindsight, he really should have known better. Sol had once told him that Ky would rather tear off his left arm than admit that something was bothering him, and while he had seen that as an exaggeration at the time, it had recently become almost plausible to him. Even with the most blatant and thinly-veiled questions he could manage, Ky shrugged them off with his ever-mellow smile and a reminder that they both had a meeting in five minutes.

If he didn’t know any better, he would say that Ky had grown testy as of late. It was another thing that he had originally shrugged off as him being too claustrophobic to the point where he was becoming irritating to the younger man. That was something that he had deserved. Dizzy, on the other hand, had not, which made it all the more concerning when he had overheard Ky yelling at her, seemingly out of nowhere when she had merely asked if he was interested in joining the rest of them for lunch.

He hadn’t been counting the days, but Leo knew that this had been going on for far too long. He and Ky were going to have a talk, whether he wanted to or not. If not for his sake, than for the sake of the people around him. Ky couldn’t be left alone if he was going to keep lashing out like that. It wouldn’t be long before he said the wrong thing to the wrong person.

Leo Whitefang was not a stupid man. He also wasn’t a heartless one. No matter what it took, he was going to find out what the hell was going on with Ky Kiske. And he was going to fix this.

The lucky moment of conversation ended up presenting itself to him three days later. After a long, uneventful meeting, Leo spotted Ky wander off alone towards one of the castle’s many hallways.

“Kiske! Wait a minute!”

Ky did not wait, and continued down the hall. Forcing down an irritated huff, Leo ran off after him. Even when he approached, Ky kept walking, eyes firmly fixed forward.

“Come on, bambino, you’re being ridiculous, even moreso than usual.”

“Leo, I’d prefer if you could leave me alone right now.”

“Why?” He knew Ky’s schedule well enough. He didn’t have another meeting for hours. Sure, knowing him, he was probably going to spend the entire free time he had doing paperwork, but he also knew that this wasn’t the path to Ky’s office. Clearly something was amiss, even moreso than usual.

Leo reached out to grab the smaller man by the shoulder. He was shoved off roughly, but a moment later, Ky’s eyes widened, and a hand flew up over his mouth. He slowed and slumped over, putting his other hand against the wall for support.

“Ky?” Feeling a pang of concern, the Second King tried to get a better look, even with Ky trying to hide himself. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

Ky was shaking, taking in little slips of breath with such effort that it looked like he was going to faint right then and there. His hands were trembling, every muscle tensed and stiff as he stared out blankly at nothing. His breathing was ragged and light, and with the look on his face, it appeared as though he was ready to turn and bolt away from whatever was terrifying him, but with the shaking, it looked like he was about to hit the floor before he could take a step.

“Ky? KY?!”

After a few more moments of shaking and staring, Ky relaxed, looking less vacant and terrified but even more tired. “I-I’m fine. I just feel a bit disoriented, per- perhaps a little nauseous…”

Alright, that settled it. Leo grabbed Ky by the wrist and began dragging him towards one of the rooms in the deeper sections of the twisted hallways. Though Ky had him firmly outmatched when it came to swordsmanship, Leo had the advantage of strength and surprise here. 

“L-Leo!” Ky snapped, trying to pry himself free from the larger man’s grip. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Something is wrong with you, Kiske. I want to have a little chat and find out what it is.”

The First King sputtered inelegantly as he was pulled along. “Nothing is wrong, Leo! It was just a little dizziness, I’m fine-”

“You aren’t talking your way out of this.”

With enough yanking, Leo managed to pull Ky into one of the quiet guest rooms. It was clean and polished, with a comfortable bed and desk, but was otherwise completely silent and empty.

“I still don’t understand why you felt that was necessary.” Ky rubbed his wrist after the large hand let go of him, leaving him standing in the middle of the room. He watched Leo turn away from him, walking off towards the open door. “Hey, where do you-”

“It’s okay, Kiske. You can rest.”

Ky practically looked amused. “Leo. I’m not sure why you’re so insistent on-”

Leo quietly closed the door behind him, making sure that Ky was watching. “Nobody knows that we’re here. Nobody can see or hear us. I’m not gonna tell anyone what happened in here. So please, Ky. Whatever is going on with you, I want to help. I know something is wrong, but you don’t want to tell me.”

With that, it seemed like he had struck a nerve. Ky flinched, refusing to meet Leo’s gaze. “It’s fine, Leo. I’m fine.”

“Now you’re just trying to convince yourself, because you know that you can’t convince me.” Leo let his expression soften. “Please. Even if you don’t want to talk right now, can you at least relax for just a bit? You look like you’re ready to collapse.”

The sudden change in how Ky held himself was astonishing, almost disturbing. In a single second, the man’s stiff frame softened around the edges, no longer holding himself tight and taut. In a single second, the obligations, responsibilities, everything- for the time being, they were gone.

There must have been something sitting within the morally-uptight and overbearing workaholic that was Ky Kiske, underneath all of the outside forces that had shaped him into a functional-enough figurehead for people to look up to. Bits of it still clung onto him- a bit of refinement, even in his awkward slouch, something ferocious in those vibrant eyes that Leo had always sworn could kill lessers Gears with a glare- but in the state that he was in, bedraggled and exhausted, it all looked so...tacked on. Forced. Like a little kid who hardly knew what he was doing, but given too many responsibilities and expectations. So he just slapped on a smile and went to work, trying to pretend that the constantly watching eyes weren’t driving him into the ground.

Instinctively, Leo gathered the smaller man into his arms and held him tightly, comfortingly. At first, Ky tried to offer a cordial pat on the back, like he would do for officials and heads of state. It took him a while to wrap his brain around the concept of it being an informal, almost intimate action, and Leo could practically feel his confusion and difficulty processing it. The man didn’t know where to put his hands or orient his body to properly return the gesture in the right way.

After several awkward minutes, the usually prim and proper Ky began trembling. He curled in on himself defensively, more or less burying himself in Leo’s grip. A war hero, the First King of the world’s largest nation...and he was completely, helplessly lost.

“You don’t have to worry about everyone and everything all the time. You know that, right?” Asked Leo. With one large hand, he stroked the man’s silky blonde hair soothingly.

“What’s the alternative?” Ky’s voice shook, sounding so brittle that Leo was worried it would snap. “I have to keep order. Millions rely on me.”

“There are three of us, you know. Daryl and I are working with you.”

The man’s tone went bitter. “You can't handle it alone. You and I both know that I have the most responsibilities.”

Usually, Leo would protest, but he knew full well that Ky was right. And for once, he was going to let the man complain as much as he wanted, having been forced to stifle his wants and grievances for years, if not all his life.

“God damn it, maybe you’re right. Maybe if I’d handled it better, Sin wouldn’t hate me as much.”

“He doesn’t hate you.” Leo replied, running a hand down the other’s tense back. “He just doesn’t understand just how difficult of a choice it was.”

“How many choices _did_ I have?!” Ky snapped, digging his nails into Leo’s coat. “Made into a puppet king or else they’d hurt Dizzy. I couldn’t raise a child in conditions like this. What was I supposed to do, leave the kingdom directionless to raise him? Risk losing his mother forever? Then he’d just hate me for a different reason!”

 _‘Puppet king?’_ Ky hadn’t wanted to be the King of Illyria? He had been so bitter about that for years, and… “It isn’t your fault, Ky.”

“Do you think he cares? Do you think any of the subjects care? What’s the first rule of being a leader, Leo? ‘Everything is your fault.’ Either way, Sin despises me. He’d rather be off with Sol. He doesn’t even know how poorly he’s been raised. What’s it going to be like when he grows up and doesn’t know how to take care of himself? What’s he going to do when he’s too naive to know better when someone tries to take advantage of him- oh, but then again, better with Sol than me, isn’t it?”

“Kiske-”

“Everything I’ve ever done,” Ky’s voice finally cracked, “was so that I could finally be finished. I wanted the war to be over. I wanted the world to be safe. I just wanted a safe, quiet place. Now look at me. People never stop needing me. All these damned delegations, reforms, negotiations- I-I can’t even sneeze without some criticism flying at me.”

“Ky…” Foregoing subtlety, Leo let his hand slip under the many layers of fabric. He could feel Ky tensing as the fingers brushed bare skin, tracing the abnormally-prominent bones. “You haven’t been eating again, have you? And you haven’t been sleeping.”

“When’s the time?” Despite the worried tone to Leo’s voice, Ky sounded almost resigned. “Either do them between meetings and paperwork or don’t do it at all.”

Leo gave a deep, heavy sigh. Ky felt far too light as he picked him up, seating the man’s still-curled body into his lap as he sat down on the bed. In most circumstances, Kiske would have likely been horrified or even humiliated, but he merely sat in place, knees drawn tightly to his chest as he trembled.

“You can’t keep doing this. You’re going to end up killing yourself.”

“Heh. Maybe then I can finally take a break.” Ky laughed weakly, before quieting. “Oh, no. That was...that was terrible-”

“Kiske, if you ever say that again, I’m tying you to your bed.”

“Well, the last one like that tried to kill everything, so-”

“Dammit, Ky, this isn’t a joke!” Leo snapped. “Why do you only have a sense of humor when I’m trying to help you?!”

Ky flinched, curling in a little more. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t even try to justify his actions. He was so conditioned to taking verbal hits that he no longer had the ability to. He just internalized.

Letting out another little sigh, Leo pulled the smaller man’s head into the safe spot nestled below his neck. Ky buried himself in the fur, muscles relaxing just slightly. All the while, Leo kept his hand buried in the long golden strands, gently stroking the back of his head with a thumb.

“It wouldn’t be as bad if Sin didn’t hate me.” Ky murmured, still pressed into Leo’s chest. “Being a husband and father just gives me more things to be a failure at.”

“You aren’t a failure.”

“No, I...I can’t be.” 

The prospect was so obvious that Leo had to mentally kick himself. Of course Kiske was such a goddamn perfectionist, that was how he had been raised all his life. If he messed up during the war, he was told that everyone would die. If he messed up as a king, he had to live in fear of revolt or war. If he failed as a parent...well, Sin offered no shortage of complaints in that regard. Any failures in between would be mercilessly remarked upon by Sol, Sin, or even himself. Even Dizzy had offered a few sad glances on rare instances when he’d been so buried in work that he wasn’t able to spend time with her.

No wonder he was so damn perfect- he wasn’t allowed to _not_ be.

Leo closed his eyes tightly to ignore the emotions that were stirring in his own body. He had spent so much time complaining to the man, now it was his turn to listen.

“Ky…”

“Huh? Yes?”

“I’m so sorry...you can cry now.”

“Leo? What do you mean? I’m…”

Ky seemed astonished by his own trembling as he looked down at his hands. He ran one under his eyes, and the shakiness grew even more severe when the fingers came away wet.

“L-Leo…”

The Second King only managed to catch a glimpse of the clear rivulets running down the other man’s face before he buried it in Leo’s chest. Even in such a state, he did his best to remain silent, but still shook against the fur and fabric that he clung to strongly. Leo kept his own arms wrapped around in a firm hug, letting Ky finally have something to anchor himself after fulfilling that role for so long and for so many people.

“It’s alright, Ky. Just let it out. Let everything out. I’m here.”

Time felt like it had slipped into a void as the two just sat, holding onto one another. Leo didn’t know how long they remained there, and he couldn’t care less. He only measured things in the shaking against his body and the subdued sobs into his chest.

When Ky finally began to relax and pulled away from Leo’s body, his face was damp and red. He sniffed a little, and Leo reached up to wipe at a tear-stained cheek. Ky leaned into the touch with a sigh.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Leo shook his head. “Are you feeling better?”

Ky nodded slightly. “Yes, very. I...I know I’ve been harboring some emotions, but I didn’t realize just how burdensome it had become.”

“You shouldn’t bottle up your feelings like that. I know you’ve got a lot on your shoulders, so you need to set your limits and know how to tell people to give you space.”

“I’m not sure if I can do that…” Ky deflated a bit.

With a little noise of dismay, Leo reached up to give the man a pat on the head. “I suppose we can take baby steps. Take it slow.”

“I-I-”

“Hey.” The Second King flashed one of his charismatic smiles. “You’re not gonna be alone anymore with this stuff, alright? I can help you.”

The smaller man slumped into his chest tiredly, releasing a heavy breath. “I suppose...I can try. Even if just a little. I know I can’t keep living like this.”

“That’s the spirit!” Noticing the slump, Leo offered a supportive hand against his spine. “Well, as long as we’re starting somewhere, here seems good.”

“Huh? Leo, what are you talking about?”

“When is the last time you were allowed to actually sleep, without it being interrupted?”

Ky shifted against him. “Erm...well, there was- no, that was the meeting with A Country. Maybe it was a few- no, that was the property bill-”

That was all Leo needed to hear. Stripping off the man’s cloak, he dropped Ky on the bed, pulling down the covers to toss them back over.

“W-wait, what do you think-”

“You’re going to rest, Kiske. And nobody is going to bother you.”

Ky looked incredibly wary, but it seemed that after their conversation, he knew better than to cross Leo. With a great deal of hesitance, he pulled off his boots, overcoat, and everything in between until he was sitting there in his white undersuit.

He didn’t resist, though, as Leo pushed him back against the pillows, tugging the blankets up over him. He simply watched as the man grabbed his discarded clothing as he pulled away, placing them on a nearby chair. 

“Is there anything else I can get you?”

From just the looks of things, Ky already looked half-asleep. “N-no. Thank you, Leo. I’m quite alright, to be frank. Not even sure if I will sleep after all.”

Leo resisted the urge to scoff, merely shaking his head. “Well, then I suppose I’ll leave you to it.”

Without another word, Leo made his way out of the room, making sure to leave it locked from the inside so nobody would accidentally walk in. While he was fiddling with the knob, he heard the sound of footsteps.

“King Leo?”

“Yes, ma’am?” The stranger was a straight-laced woman in her late 30’s, carrying a stack of paper. She looked at the man with steely eyes, slight intimidation hiding under her severe face.

“Have you seen King Ky around? He vanished after the council meeting and I need to discuss the new policies. It’s very important that I see him immediately.”

Leo leveled a calm expression at her. “King Ky is taking a nap right now. He isn’t feeling very well. Either I can assist with the work, or you can wait until he wakes up.”

The woman’s face twisted irritably. “This isn’t something that can wait, Sir. I _need_ King Ky for-”

Something about the man’s face darkened. Though the fur on his jacket wasn’t real, it almost seemed like it was a part of him, as his hackles rose like that of an angry dog. A single hand was pressed against the bedroom door as he towered over the woman, eyes hard and incriminating.

“He is taking a nap.” The Second King growled, lips pulled back in a snarl. “You will come back when he is done.”

She had just enough self-respect to not make it look like she was running for her life as she turned and rushed down the hallway. Leo watched her go, expression slowly softening as the distraction vanished into the distance.

“Well, they should get the point for now.” Donning a faint smile, he turned to leave, giving the door a small pat. “Sleep well, bambino.”

**Author's Note:**

> More fics of Xrd characters who aren't El/Ram 2k18
> 
> Actually scratch that, more fics all of them. Just less porn. I kinda just want to write for all the more unloved characters, maybe I should do something for Izuna at some point.


End file.
